Come Pick Me Up

"Knock, knock."
 
"Don't come in." But of course he came in anyway.
 
"How you feeling, Jules?"
 
"Just dandy, Ken."
 
"You're always extra cranky when you're sick." He laughed and set down a bowl of soup, a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin on the
bedside table.
 
"And you're always extra pique when I'm sick." I bit back. I was in no mood for anything lighthearted right now. 
 
"Oh cheer up woman! So what if you've got the sniffles? It's not the end of the world." He sat down at the foot of the bed and patted my knee.
 
"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who has to-Blahchu!" I blew my nose into a tissue.
 
"You have the most unattractive sneeze in the world."
 
"Sorry I couldn't live up to your expectations." I blew my nose into another tissue.
 
"It's okay. Not everyone can be as perfect as I am." He sighed dramatically.
 
"Bugger off before I kick your face, Trot." I threw my used tissues at him. He shrieked like a girl and ran out of the room.
 
I've been stuck indoors for the past 96 hours. Seems that I caught some sort of flu from a customer that sneezed on my hand. It was absolutely horrifying. 
 
Yet, Andrea was more freaked out about it than I was. She started screaming and waving her arms around while screaming 'She's been contaminated! She's been contaminated! Quarantine her! Quarantine her! This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!' I just laughed it off and told her that it wasn't so bad. Boy, was I wrong.
 
Next thing I knew, I had a burning fever and I couldn't smell a thing. Kennedy suggested that they take me to the ER and Garrett was convinced I was Patient 0 and have caught the zombie virus. Of course Jared calmed everyone by stating that I probably just caught the flu and should just rest.
 
Ever since then, the guys took it upon themselves to help me get better. Jared's been telling me stories, Pat's keeping me entertained and less cranky, John was (or at least his mum has been) cooking up macaroni soup, while Kennedy's supplying me with my wants and needs.
 
And well Garrett... I haven't seen much of him in a while. I always assume he's with Sarah or something. But honestly could care less where ever he was putting his-
 
"'Elo?" I answered my phone with a raspy voice.
 
"Oi! You haven't given me as much as a ring since you got there. Where've you been? You could've been dead for all I knew!" A familiar voice shouted through the phone. “And what happened to your voice?”
 
I laughed and replied "The rate's are crazy 'ere, mate. No way am I gonna spend £15 a minute just to tell you I'm fine, Manda. Just a little sniffle that’s all."
 
"Ya could've at least facebook-ed me, ya twit."
 
"I've updated my facebook at least five times since I got here, and once this mornin'. Don't ya think I wouldn't be able to do that beyond the grave?"
 
"Hell could have wifi." 
 
"I'm a lucky girl then." I mused. I honestly did feel horrible though for not calling her for almost a month. I've just been so caught up in trying to forget about everything back in Surrey, I almost forgot about my friends. I have a life back there and I can't just drop everything cause I can't face shit. “I’m really sorry though.”
 
“S’alright, Julia. I understand.” Amanda said soothingly. I’m extremely lucky to have a friend like here to understand and just be there for me. “Well enough with the sappy stuff! How’s Arizona been treatin’ you?” 
 
I started to go on about the first time the heat touched my skin, to when Kennedy failed to pick me up from the airport, when I met his friends, my job, till the whole fireworks incident with Garrett.
 
“Whoa, whoa wait. So this guy just leads you to a hill, makes you climb over a fence, scares you with fireworks, and you still let you take him back to your place?”
 
“You put it in such a negative light! It’s not like he knew about my whole fireworks issue. Besides, I had no choice. We live in the same place so I have no choice really.”
 
“Wait so you live together?!” She shrieked, much to my ear’s dismay.
 
“It's not like I asked him to. He and Kennedy share this place so it's not like I had a choice, did I? Kennedy, Garrett and this place are sort of a package deal." I let out a big sigh. "This is probably a bad time to tell you that I sleep in Garrett's room too huh?"

"What?!" She shouted so loud that my phone almost slipped from my hands. "You're a proper slag, Julia Adams."

"That's rich, coming from you. Besides, who's keeping score on who is the whore now?"

"Apparently no one's keepin tabs on who you're shaggin' in Arizona." 

"Too hot for sex here, mate. Anyway it's not like we're sharing a bed. He sleeps on the couch." I heard footsteps from the other side of the door. Someone started calling out my name. "Shit he's here now. I'll phone you soon, love."

"I thought you said he was on a date." Amanda replied bitterly.

"Yeah I thought so too."

"You better phone me, bitch." And on that note, she hung up the phone. Till now, it didn't hit me how much I left back home. My friends, the rest of my family, the company, everything. I now had more reason to go back rather than to stay.

There was a knock on the door. I wiped my tears but then I realized that I could've just passed it off to my sickness. "Come in!"

"Are your eyes blood red?"

"I don't think so."

"Do you have an intense craving for raw human flesh?"

"No more than usual." I rolled my eyes.

"Has your skin turned palish green?"

"Not even slightly."

Garrett then proceeded to bust the door open, jump to the space beside me and held me in his arms. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Aren't you supposed to be on a date right about now?" I laughed as he held me tighter and muttered his apologies into my shoulder.

"I should hate you, you know." He playfully glared up at me. But I still couldn't stop giggling.

"And why is that?"

"Every time I went out with Sarah, all I could think of is if you were alright." Garrett stuck bottom lip out, and if it was even possible, held me closer. 

"This almost makes up for him not being there the past 3 days." I joked. Apparently he didn't take it as one and started apologizing and promising me things like pizzas, burgers, movie marathons, a life time supply of The Maine tickets and he even said he'd take me on a shopping spree.

"A shopping spree, ey? I may just take you up on that." I reached over him and felt for something on the bedside table. I was on my side while my arm was ghosting over Garrett's torso. I tried to ignore the goosebumps on my skin as I scooted closer and pressed my arm harder against him while checking the drawers. I pulled out the pair of glasses that I found on my bedside table this morning.

"There they are!" He exclaimed as I returned to my previous position. "I've been looking for this everywhere."

"It was just siting on my table when I woke up. Speaking of which, what were they even doing there?"

"Oh I stayed here last night just to check on you. Dozed off for a while before going back to the couch. Forgot to take them with me I guess." He explained while adjusting his glasses onto his face. I couldn't ignore the slight tint of pink on his cheeks.

"You're really going catch a cold staying this close to me all the time." I could feel the heat creeping onto my own face.

"I get worried." He admitted with his head hung low. 

I scooted closer to Garrett and wrapped my arm around his torso. If you told me that when I went to Arizona that I would be sick in my best friend's roommate's arms, I'd punch your bollocks and tell you you've gone daft.

"I have the flu Garrett, not AIDS."

"Hey I don't know what goes inside you!" His remark earned him a good punch in the gut. "You should get some rest. Goodnight, Julia."

"Night, Gare." I mumbled sleepily into his chest.

In that moment I knew I was fucked. I just found another reason to stay.